Inaugural I/OWA Conference announces three speakers in line-up

The I/OWA Conference announced today the first three speakers on the line-up for its inaugural event. Zapier’s co-founder Mike Knoop, coUrbanize co-founder …

Speakers for the inaugural I/OWA Conference include Zapier’s co-founder Mike Knoop (left), Karin Brandt of coUrbanize (center) and 5by CEO Greg Isenberg.
The I/OWA Conference announced today the first three speakers on the line-up for its inaugural event. Zapier‘s co-founder Mike Knoop, coUrbanize co-founder and CEO Karin Brandt and 5by CEO Greg Isenberg will speak on Oct. 11, the second day of the conference. 

The speakers hail not only from both ends of the country—Mountain View, Calif. for Knoop and Boston for Brandt—but also from outside the U.S., with Isenberg traveling to Iowa from Montreal.

The conference, which is scheduled for Oct. 10 and 11, was put together by a group of Des Moines community members when our team at SPN was unable to put on Big Des Moines—formerly Thinc Iowa—this year. Local startup leaders met that day to find a way to continue supporting the community.  

BECOME A SPONSOR

“If you look to any strong startup community, it thrives and is successful when there are multiple leaders,” said SPN’s co-founder Jeff Slobotski. “The weight cannot fall on one entity’s shoulders, and for that reason we’re excited to see examples like I/OWA come together.”

A two-day pass for the event costs $50 and the conference will be held in StartupCity Des Moines as well as at the nearby Kirkwood. While some details regarding the event’s schedule are still being worked out, the first day of the conference will likely feature co-working and an opening party with speakers on the second day. 

“It’s been a tremendous group effort and a real example of what the startup community can accomplish together in such a short time,” said Aaron Hoffman, one of about 10 coordinators for the conference, in a press release. “We were disappointed that Silicon Prairie News has canceled Big Des Moines, but excited for what this opportunity means for us as a community.”

As more details are released, a complete schedule can be found on the conference’s website

 

Credits: Speaker photos from IowaConf.com

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

Channels:

Get the latest news and events from Nebraska’s entrepreneurship and innovation community delivered straight to your inbox every Wednesday.